VIDEO: Dismantling of Costa Concordia begins

The wreck of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia arrived at its final destination and is ready for final dismantling.

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The wreck of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia arrived at its final destination and is ready for final dismantling, a job expected to take more than a year and cost $114 million.

The wreck was towed to Molo ex Superbacino, where it will be recycled by the Ship Recycling Consortium — a group formed by Saipem (51 percent) and San Giorgio del Porto (49 percent). Those two companies joined forces in September 2012 with the aim of providing green ship dismantling services.

About 50,000 tons of steel and 2,000 tons of copper are expected to be recovered from the vessel. Before the ship arrived at Molo ex Superbacino, more than 5,700 tons of furniture and interior equipment was removed so the wreck could be towed over the breakwater of the Prà Voltri Port to reach the dismantling dock.

The dismantling and recycling project is being carried out in four operational phases that require as many as 250 people at a time. About 80 percent of the vessel is expected to be recyclable.

The 114-ton luxury liner capsized after striking rocks as it sailed close to the island of Giglio off Tuscany in January 2012, killing 32 people and setting off a chaotic evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew.

The Marine Industries Association of South Florida and the Marine Industry Cares Foundation, organizers of the 41st Annual Broward County Waterway Cleanup held on March 3, collected 32 tons of trash from 31 sites around the county.